Although far less frequently seen in actual practice than other methods of cooking, electric conduction cooking is well-established in the inventive literature and there are numerous patents covering apparatus and methods to accomplish the same. Obviously, these require an electrically conductive food substance or the addition of an electrolyte. Many of the early efforts to achieve this type of cooking involve foods that were particularly well shaped to accommodate this means of cooking, frequently hotdogs. Some of the early art shows hotdogs which were pierced at each end by electrodes. Obviously, regardless of its geometric configuration, electrical resistance cooking of food requires an electrically conductive food substance. Some of the more recent art has been directed to eliminating the necessity to pierce the food with electrodes which can disfigure and/or contaminate the food and has several safety ramifications as well. Since electrical conduction cooking of food necessarily implies some risk of a shock hazard or worse to human hands, safety considerations have been paramount in this art. Some of the art has also been adapted for use in vending machines where safety considerations can be minimized, and where the speed of electrical conduction cooking is particularly desirable. It is, of course, well-established that electrical conduction cooking is an extremely speedy means of cooking, and must be carefully controlled as a consequence. As a result of the speed with which electric conduction cooking is accomplished, it also represents an intriguing concept for the cooking of food to order in fast food restaurants. The tremendous proliferation of fast food restaurants in the United States and around the world has resulted in the application of scientific analysis and principals to improve the efficiency of cooking and serving fast food items, a frequent component of which is a hamburger patty. Most of present day fast food chains and franchises utilize either broiling or griddle-type cooking techniques involving thermal conduction to transmit cooking heat into the food. This technique is generally slower and less energy efficient than electrical conduction cooking. However, electrical conduction cooking has been plagued by several problems which the present invention addresses and solves.
Among these is the contamination of the cooking site in general and the electrodes in particular by the accumulation of fat and other fluids that are rendered from meat products during and after the cooking process. These fats and other fluids adversely affect electrical conductivity between the electrode and food, resulting in inconsistent reproducibility of cooking results, contamination of food, etc. In order to be successful, it has been determined that the food-contacting electrodes must be clean and the fats and other fluids resulting from cooking must be consistently removed. The present invention addresses both of these concerns by providing a novel disposable cooking container in which is disposed a unique peripheral reservoir to accumulate fat and other fluids to be removed from the cooking site by being discarded. This cooking container also utilizes disposable electrodes as a portion of the container. That is, the electrodes are only used once and are discarded along with the structure of the disposable container with the collected fats and fluids remaining in the peripheral reservoir. The cooking container is, in reality, a shipping enclosure in which the electrically conductive food is pre-packaged in intimate contact with the electrodes which form a part of the shipping enclosure. No electrolyte need be added to the food because it is electrically conductive already. The food can be frozen in place for shipping and storage and the container can be sealed for flavor retention and similar purposes during the shipping and storage process. The invention contemplates immediate consumption of the food cooked in the container.
As noted above, there is substantial prior art in the electrical resistence cooking field. Among these are Electro-Food AB, Belgian Patent No. 797,768, which is a reference that broadly describes processes and wrapping of food packages for sterilization and cooking. The reference, however, is clearly not directed to the single portion, immediate consumption, peripheral reservoir package purposes and means of the present invention. Of some interest in this respect is Bohart, U.S. Pat. No. 1,961,681, which is really directed to sterilization, teaches cooking under pressure, and is obviously not directed to immediate consumption of the food following the heating process.
One reference of considerable interest, although not in the electric conduction cooking field, is Daswick, U.S. Pat. No. 4,137,333, which describes in considerable detail a disposable package for cooking a prepared meat product, Daswick's package also teaches a built-in grease trap, filtered vent for cooking gasses, and a number of other features, but relates to heat conduction type cooking, as opposed to the electric conduction cooking of the present invention. Another reference of some interest is Forker, Jr., et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,965,323, which concerns a method and apparatus for microwave cooking and teaches a peripheral reservoir which is geometrically similar in some respects to the peripheral reservoir of the present invention. However, Forker, Jr., et al., does not teach the use of this peripheral reservoir for the purpose of maintaining electrically conduction contact with the food and is, at least to that extent nonanalogous. A further interesting reference is Korr U.S. Pat. No. 3,230,861, which teaches a food container adapted for use in electric conduction cooking. As with another reference by this same inventor (in combination with a co-inventor), this reference is geometrically distinguishable from the container that facilitates the present inventive method.
There are numerous U.S. patents in this art. Some of them are described hereinafter, while others are of record. Those discussed herein are examined form the standpoint of the inventive package. Three references are known to have been invented by Theimer, et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,099,454; 3,966,972; and 3,886,290. The first of these discloses an electrical resistance cooking apparatus for cooking hotdogs. Although this reference provides a disposable cooking container, there is no reservoir for fats or other juices, the same being presumably absorbed by a bun that surrounds the hotdog. The contact tabs of the electrodes project from the container for contact with an electrical supply, and are not completely internal, as is the case with the present invention. Theimer, et al., '972, discloses another electrical resistance cooking container which includes foil electrodes projecting from the ends of the container rather than from the top. Theimer, et al., '290, is very much like their other references, except for a difference in the means of internal electrode contact. Theimer, et al., '454, recites numerous other references relating to this field, which are incorporated in this discussion by reference, but will not be individually reviewed. All of the Theimer, et al., references are certainly geometrically distinguishable from the present invention.
Other references known are Korr, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,842,724; Buckley, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,048; and Furgal, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,062,663. Korr, et al., teaches a pre-packaged food in a container having electrodes for passing current through the food, but is also geometrically distinguishable and principally focuses on supplementary concerns including indicia relating to electrical conducting properties of the food, providing information in machine readable form regarding controlling of the electrical current and the like. Buckley teaches a complex apparatus utilizing spring biased contacts, penetrating elements, and is focused on circuitry, control and safety without fat or fluid retaining means by which the same can be accumulated and discarded. Furgal, et al., relates to a disposable food packaging container with electrical resistance heating elements disposed therein, but is also geometrically dissimilar to the present invention and further lacks fat or fluid containment and disposal means.
On the other hand, Takeuchi, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,320,276, and Palmer, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,099,202, both teach electrical resistance food heating apparatus that does not include a disposable cooking container. Takeuchi, et al., deals principally with the electrical circuitry concerns and controlling electrical conduction cooking.
Even less relevant references are those which employ thermal cooking means, not the electrical conduction cooking at which the present cooking container invention is aimed. Such references include Marsh, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,943,332, and Balaguer, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,177,719. Marsh essentially teaches electrically heated plates which are mounted above and below the food to be cooked. Balaguer, on the other hand, places the food in contact with a sheet of conductive material, which sheet is then connected to an electrical power source, capable of supplying a low voltage high current. Thus, conduction is only in a typical conductor, such as metal, with the food being heated by reason of its proximity to such conductor.
Another reference, Lee, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,167,431, recognizes the necessity for collection of fluids or fats that drain out of the food as it is cooked and should be collected. Lee provides a recess and openings into a collection receptacle. However, Lee does not disclose a disposable cooking container in which are located disposable electrodes. Another interesting reference is Anderson, et al., which, though not concerned with electric conduction cooking of food, also discloses a central depression to catch and hold grease drippings and other liquids. Anderson, of course, is concerned with portable grilling apparatus containing combustible fuel elements such as compressed charcoal briquettes for cooking purposes. It should be noted that Anderson teaches a series of small channels to allow fluids to flow to the centrally located depression. This technique will function only if the support for same is reasonably level and also if the small channels do not become clogged by bits of food, since fats and fluids must migrate from the most distant point to the center in order for the depression to be effective. A final reference of some interest is Lauth, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 1,380,656, which discloses an electric conduction oven using a mesh tray for holding food. Thus, the disposable container feature of the present invention is absent.